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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26084647">Family</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/my_monsters_are_real/pseuds/my_monsters_are_real'>my_monsters_are_real</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Umbrella Academy (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Drabble Collection, Emotional Hurt, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Friendship, Gen, Good Sibling Allison Hargreeves, Good Sibling Diego Hargreeves, Good Sibling Klaus Hargreeves, Hints on Luther Hargreeves/Allison Hargreeves, Hurt Luther Hargreeves, Hurt/Comfort, Klaus Hargreeves Deserves Better, Klaus Hargreeves Needs A Hug, Luther Hargreeves Deserves Better, Luther Hargreeves Needs A Hug, Male-Female Friendship, Number Five | The Boy Deserves Better, Number Five | The Boy Needs A Hug, Number Five | The Boy has PTSD, Post-Canon, Protective Allison Hargreeves, Protective Diego Hargreeves, Protective Klaus Hargreeves, Pseudo-Incest, Siblings, Sober Klaus Hargreeves, Vanya Hargreeves Deserves Better, Vanya Hargreeves Needs A Hug</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 03:28:25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>8,399</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26084647</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/my_monsters_are_real/pseuds/my_monsters_are_real</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>It's normally in families to support each other (a collection of drabbles, where each part is a small sketch of how one of the Hargreeves supports the other).</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Allison Hargreeves/Luther Hargreeves</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>50</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Vanya and Diego</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>English is not my mother tongue so sorry for mistakes.<br/>Timeline - after the finale of the second season.<br/>The show is difficult for fanfiction in the sense that there are no quiet moments in it when we could take the do-nothing Hargreeves and write about them. They are constantly doing something, moving from one Apocalypse to another, and even the end of the second season leaves them with new problems. Therefore, in order to preserve the canon, I took as a basis the ending of the second season with my little ideas about what might happen next.<br/>In the new 2019 year, our heroes have no place in the Academy, so they move to a new home, try to find a job and decide how to get back.</p><p>In the name of each part, the character about whom cares comes first, who cares about him / her comes second.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Diego didn't plan to linger near Vanya's room - in fact, he just walked by, heading for training, but barely audible sobs made him stop. Diego hesitantly stood at the door, hoping that it seemed to him: however, the cry from his sister's room was real, as well as the fact that Diego absolutely didn't know what to do with it. He looked around helplessly, knowing full well that he wouldn't see anyone. All the Hargreeves were busy: Luther went to work as a security guard in club (something never changed), Klaus followed him, probably to get drunk in the same club, Allison, whom Diego now wanted to meet most, went to deal with the rent pay for this month, and Five... whatever he did, he could even less comforting than Diego, so Diego couldn't count on him.</p><p>Diego sighed heavily and swiftly opened the door. Perhaps too swiftly, as Vanya literally jumped up on the bed and looked frightened at her brother who entered. Her eyes were red and her cheeks were wet with tears.</p><p>There was an awkward silence. Diego painfully chose the right words: he was never a master of sincere conversations. He didn’t often get a chance to talk to someone normally, and it was easier to beat someone in the face, protecting his sister, than to stand next to her like this, trying to console her. Vanya tried in vain to wipe away the tears and pretend that she didn't cry at all, but it turned out badly for her.</p><p>"Are you okay?"</p><p>The question sounded very awkward, and Diego knew the answer in advance.</p><p>"Yes... yes, I'm fine".<br/>
Vanya smiled uncertainly, but a trembling voice showed she wasn't fine. She continued to crumple up the pillow she held in her hands, clearly feeling uncomfortable next to Diego. He couldn't blame her for that. He and Vanya were never close, and their last meetings couldn't be called warm. Diego sighed again.</p><p>“What… what are you doing here?" Vanya asked timidly, hiding her eyes.</p><p>“I live here,” Diego wanted to say, but he stopped himself in time. Sarcasm would definitely not help Vanya now. Still not knowing what to do, Diego awkwardly sat down on the bed next to his sister. She immediately fussed, moving away and leaving her brother as much place in bed as possible. At the moment, Vanya was very similar to a small animal, which is afraid of a large predatory animal and is trying to protect itself. Even though Vanya was stronger than all her siblings put together.</p><p>"And what are you doing here?"</p><p>The question was dumb. Diego mentally scolded himself. And why, of all the Hargreeves, at this moment, it was he who was at home, the least like someone who can help? He could rather ruin everything, as it happened more than once.</p><p>"Nothing. I just... just sit there".</p><p>Vanya smiled nervously, straightening up, but then suddenly sobbed again and hastily covered her face with her hands. Her shoulders trembled.</p><p>"I'm sorry… I'm sorry…"</p><p>She burst into tears, trying to move away from her brother. Diego froze with his hand raised. He didn't know if it was worth touching Vanya, or he would only make it worse. But he simply couldn't just sit and watch his sister crying, so he uncertainly hugged her to him and began to awkwardly stroke her hair. He expected Vanya to pull away, but instead she grabbed his shirt and, crying, buried her face in it. They were both silent for a while. Diego hugged Vanya, feeling her whole body shuddering, and felt how it began to pinch in the corners of his own eyes. Vanya always looked the weakest and most defenseless among all of them, and now she seemed quite fragile, so it was even scary to hold her in his arms. One careless movement and she will break.</p><p>“You know…” Diego cleared his throat. For some reason, it was the hardest thing to talk to Vanya, even with Five it was easier, even though he often was a shit. “I was really mad at you then. When I read your book".</p><p>Vanya perceptibly squeezed in his arms. The topic was still painful for her, and Diego saw guilt in his sister's gaze every time someone mentioned it. He himself uttered a lot of bad words to Vanya then, which he regretted now.</p><p>"At that time, your act seemed to me the real betrayal. I couldn't forgive you. I re-read your book over and over again, trying to understand why you did it so with us. I could understand if it was Luther, Klaus, Allison, but not... you. I thought that life was easier for you than for us, and I was angry. Really very angry. I remembered the lines from your book in training and it helped me to get angry enough that I began to beat opponents much harder. At first I wanted to find you and tell you everything. It's good that I didn't dare".</p><p>Diego felt how tense Vanya was after his words. She even stopped crying. The silence pressed on, making Diego's heart beat faster. He licked his suddenly dry lips.</p><p>"But, do you know that the only thing that made me happy in all this? I imagined the face of father, who read your book - and he read, I have no doubt. He just couldn't miss it. I would like just to look at him when he read the chapter about himself”, Diego chuckled grimly. "Daddy learned a lot about himself at that moment... he totally deserved it. For that one reason, I was ready to forgive you for this damn book. Telling father that he was wrong is...</p><p>Vanya pulled away from Diego and sat up straight. Her lips trembled, but her brown eyes were serious.</p><p>"He was right".</p><p>"What?"</p><p>"Father was right. In that... in everything. About me".</p><p>"Are you out of your mind?" - Diego was so shocked that he spoke these words louder than planned. Vanya shuddered, but only pressed her lips tighter and stubbornly looked at his brother.</p><p>“He knew who… what I am. That I'm a monster" - she spoke very quietly, almost in a whisper.</p><p>"Vanya, you ... what are you talking about?"</p><p>"I'm a monster",  Vanya repeated with pain, firmly squeezing the blanket with her hands. Her fingers turned white. "Because of me, two Apocalypses almost happened, because of me we all are again God knows where, because of me, Allison couldn't speak for a year... because of me, Ben left forever. Damn, I killed Pogo and mom! How can you argue with that? How?.."</p><p>She spoke louder and louder, almost screaming at the end. The vase on the table swayed threateningly. Goose bumps ran down Diego's spine. Vanya's emotions began to get out of control, which meant that her abilities were awakening. It was necessary to calm his sister as soon as possible - but not because Diego was afraid of Vanya. He was not afraid of her, but for her. He didn't want to lose her anymore.</p><p>"Vanya..." Diego began speak softly, carefully taking his sister's hands in his. They trembled as the space around Vanya trembled. Invisible, but physically palpable, with light vibrations in every cell of the body. With emotions, a force was released, buried inside for many, many years and capable of destroying the whole world. Father was afraid of this power, hid it even from the mistress herself... a coward. Diego hated him with all his heart. Even after the death of their father, they learned about him new disgusting secrets.</p><p>"Our father was an asshole who didn't think about anyone but himself. He stuffed you with pills and locked one up in the dark ... he's lucky you didn't destroy the world much earlier. Sorry, sorry, I'm such an idiot!" Diego belatedly realized that he told something wrong, when Vanya painfully cringed. "I mean... he was a freak. You know what he did to Luther. And as if that was not enough for him, he sent him to the moon. We... we lost Ben because of him. You're not blame for his death, Vanya. Ben died many years ago because of our father, who wanted to make us the heroes of his fantastic story. He didn't love us. He... broke us all and even after death he continues to do it. I… damn it, I still sometimes see him in my dreams", Diego knew that he would later regret his words, but now he didn't want to remain silent. For too long, pain and anger had accumulated inside him, finding no way out. In this he was very similar to his sister - both kept too many suppressed emotions from childhood, which was wrong to do. Diego remembered very well how this was talked about more than once in group sessions in a psychiatric hospital, which he so hated. Damn them all, but perhaps they were somewhat right. "And in a dream he tells me that I'm not good enough, that I let him down, let everyone down. But you know what? Fuck him. Repeat".</p><p>“Fu… fuck him,” Vanya repeated quietly and uncertainly. Diego smiled.</p><p>"Right. The old man is no longer with us, he cannot dictate to us what to do. That Hargreeves we saw is not our father, do you hear? Our dad is dead. And we will cope with this, Five is already thinking about a new plan. There is no Umbrella Academy in this world, which means there are no rules. Fuck them too! No rules!</p><p>"No rules", - said Vanya and somehow shyly smiled. Diego's chest warmed. He didn’t know who he was trying to convince now - himself or his sister, but it seems he did it with both of them. When he first saw his father after returning from the past, something teared inside him. He didn't expect to meet with him again at <em>this</em> time. The alternate Reginald Hargreeves turned out to be the same asshole as the real one, he didn't even really look at his returned children. In this timeline, he had other students... fit, reverent for his father, radiant with his own superiority. It was disgusting to see them. Next to them, Diego again began to feel inferior, as in his distant childhood. He hated the feeling with all his heart.</p><p>“And we were all to blame for the end of the world. Don't take it all on yourself, after all, this is somehow... too smug, don't you think? We all tried our best, and we were able to fix it. All together, like a family. And this time we'll fix it. Do you believe me?"</p><p>"I believe", Vanya smiled again, and this time the smile turned out to be warmer and more sincere. Diego found himself thinking that he really missed his sister. Missed her attentive gaze, quiet voice, lively smile, funny jokes and serious conversations in the evenings, while no one has seen. Even then, they spoke very rarely, but Diego remembered all their moments together. Vanya was... ordinary, homely, warm, and he unconsciously reached for her, exhausted by superhero everyday life. Then he didn't understand this, but Vanya had much of that which he himself was deprived of. Now he realized that Vanya was also deprived of a lot too. He missed her even when he read her damn book. Diego didn't want to admit that the main reason for his anger was Vanya's admission that he didn't need her at all. That she was the most useless member of the Hargreeves family, whose disappearance no one would have noticed.</p><p>Diego was angry because it wasn't true.</p><p>“You're not a monster. You're a very good person that our crazy family doesn't deserve at all. We are all very guilty in front of you, and I would really like you to know how amazing you are. I knew that I am glad that you are my family. "</p><p>Diego would very much like to say it all out loud, but something prevented him from doing it. Some kind of lump that stood up in the middle of the throat and made him cough before saying something. It was so hard to talk about his feelings, and, probably, Diego simply didn't know how to do this, since no one taught him. He hoped that someday he would say this to Vanya. Someday. But not now.</p><p>Now, instead of these words, he said in an exaggerated cheerful voice:</p><p>"Now let's go have a bite to eat. I'm hungry".</p><p>"You, like, were going somewhere?" Vanya raised her eyebrows inquiringly.</p><p>“No,” Diego replied, trying to hide the knife sticking out from under his shirt. "I'm absolutely free today. Where would you like to go? Just remember, I hate Chinese food. I'm even ready to endure Klaus's chatter for several hours than eat this muck.</p><p>Vanya laughed softly, and Diego smiled broadly. This evening was getting much better than he could have imagined.</p><p>He could go to training at the next time.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Luther and Allison</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Allison heard Luther return home. Only he could slam the door very loudly, at the same time trying not to make noise and swearing every time he unintentionally touched something again. She involuntarily smiled, remembering how he had recently come at night, crashed into a hanger in the semi-darkness of the hallway, dropped it, scared Klaus, who was sleeping on the couch, and for a long time then apologized to everyone. Her heart warmed at this memory: it returned her to childhood, but not to where they trained every morning under the guidance of their father and where they risked their lives for his joy. In that childhood, where they secretly ran to a pizzeria, where they sat at a common table and exchanged mocking glances, where they locked themselves in the same room at night and told each other terrible stories. Where they were all a family, even if they didn't appreciate it.</p><p>But they appreciated it now. Allison was really happy that now they all lived together... if they would were alone they could go crazy. When they returned from the past, they expected to be at home, but there was no place for their family in the new version of the future. Instead of Umbrella Academy, there was Sparrow Academy, in which Reginald Hargreeves raised completely different children. Allison didn't even know if she was born in this time, and if she was born... who was she in a frightening new world? She tried not to think about the fact that in this 2019 she had never met Patrick, never married him and that... that Claire didn't exist in this world.</p><p>From these thoughts she wanted to die.</p><p>When Luther returned, Allison was standing in the kitchen preparing dinner. Previously, she almost never had to do this: in her previous life, she and Patrick preferred to go to restaurants or order food at home. But after a year of living with Ray, Allison fell in love with cooking. She liked to please her husband, tired after work, and it was pleasant to do something herself. Ray praised her food and it encouraged her to improve. Until now, while preparing something, Allison wondered how Ray would have appreciated it... she still missed him. This wound couldn't heal that quickly.</p><p>Allison wanted to say hello to Luther, but didn't have time, he walked by too quickly and began to climb to the second floor. Allison listened: sometimes she could tell by the sound of Luther's footsteps in what mood he was returning home. If the gait was slow and heavy, then the day was not easy. If Luther walked firmly and confidently, then today everything was normally, if he… Allison stopped. Something was wrong. Luther walked unevenly, shuffling his feet up the stairs, and that could only mean one thing: he was wounded. Allison remembered this sound from childhood when someone walked, trying to keep balance and trying to go the first aid kit. Her heart skipped a beat.</p><p>Allison quickly dropped the knife on the table and rushed upstairs. On the periphery of consciousness, the thought flashed that it would be necessary to turn off the chicken standing in the oven, but Allison quickly brushed it off these thoughts: there was no time. All the more so, she put the chicken quite recently, it should not have time to burn.</p><p>Although who cared about dinner now?</p><p>"Luther? Luther?"</p><p>Allison froze at the closed door that led to her brother's room. He had already gone inside and locked himself, Allison had time to notice only his broad back before he disappeared.</p><p>"Luther? Are you okay?"</p><p>Nobody responded. Allison went cold. She imagined Luther lying on the bed, covered in blood, unconscious, and everything inside her clenched. She yanked the door handle fiercely again. The door didn't open.</p><p>"Lu..."</p><p>“You don’t have to burst into my room,” her brother's voice sounded tired, but it didn’t look like he was dying. Allison breathed a sigh of relief. Only now she noticed how much her hands were shaking.</p><p>"Let me in".</p><p>“No,” Luther's voice hardened.</p><p>"Are you hurt?"</p><p>Luther said nothing. Allison thought she heard his heavy breathing, but it was most likely due to tension and shattered nerves. The last days had been difficult, and more than anything, Allison wanted at least some semblance of peace. Which, apparently, was not possible in their family.</p><p>"Luther?"</p><p> "I'm fine. Don't worry about me".</p><p>But Allison knew it wasn't all right. She made out drops of blood on the floor that she hadn't noticed before. Anger began to boil inside: how tired she was of these adult boys who ignored their own wounds. “Everything is fine,” Diego said, surreptitiously pinching the stab wound on his stomach he had received in the fight. “We have no time,” said Five, hiding a huge shard in his side. "It's okay," Klaus said, hiding a fresh scar... the cause of which Allison even didn't know. Suicidal stubborn idiots.</p><p> “If you don't let me in, I'll knock down the door".</p><p>"You will not make it".</p><p>"Then I'll call Diego, and he will break it. Or Five... or..." Allison sighed loudly and nervously slammed her fist against the wall. She was so worried about this idiot who didn't even realize that he was doing something wrong right now. “If you don’t open the door now, I’ll use“ rumor” to get you to work as an animator at a children's party.</p><p>“You don’t dare”, Luther said somehow timidly, and Allison’s heart clenched painfully again. They shouldn't use abilities against each other. Even as a joke. It was not right. She suddenly remembered Ray's face twisted with fright, who saw her at the moment of using her powers, but she drove those thoughts away.</p><p>Damn it all. Now she was ready, it seemed, for anything, if only Luther would open that damn door.</p><p>"Fairy-animator”, Allison said vengefully, trying not to imagine such a sight. It was too cruel on Luther.</p><p>She heard a sigh. Then the sound of footsteps. Click. And the door opened.</p><p>Quickly before Luther changed his mind, Allison pushed past him and entered the room. Her brother looked at her in silence and outwardly looked quite normal, except for the blood-stained sweatshirt and the fact that his right hand was clamping his forearm with his left. At first glance, there was no more damage, but Allison knew she shouldn't trust her eyes. And shouldn't trust foolish brothers, who seemed ready to die, but not admit that they needed help.</p><p>"Take off your clothes".</p><p>Luther even choked after heard these words. Trying to catch his breath and wincing in pain, he shook his head.</p><p>“I… will handle with everything myself".</p><p>“Luther…” Allison rubbed her forehead wearily. She was already tired of this meaningless conversation. "I just…"</p><p>"I said that I will handle myself!" Luther snapped unexpectedly, making Allison flinch. For a second, her brother removed his hand from the wound, and Allison could see the blood on his left side. Realizing from the changed expression on his sister's face that she had seen everything, Luther hurried to close the hem of his cloak. "Do not come to me. I... can handle everything myself".</p><p>He retreated with each word more and more and now rested his back in the door. There was nowhere to go, and Luther knew it perfectly well.</p><p> "Please…"</p><p>There was so much despair in his voice and gaze that Allison froze. Suddenly it became difficult to swallow, as if a prickly lump had appeared in her throat. The same despair was in Luther's eyes two years ago when he realized that Allison saw him shirtless. She still very clearly remembered this moment and felt guilty for the fact that then she didn't find the strength to immediately follow her brother. She was cowardly at a loss, letting Luther think he had frightened her with his looks.</p><p>Did he really think that this would somehow change her attitude towards him?</p><p>“Luther, let me… I want to help".</p><p>Allison put her hand gently on her brother's arm, feeling it tremble. Luther recoiled again, but Allison was already very close to him. She stroked her brother on the shoulder and smiled, although she really wanted to burst into tears. Because of their dad, she couldn't even comfort a dear person who hated himself and pushed away everyone who wanted to support him. It wasn't fair. Luther was only outwardly a rough mountain of muscle, but Allison knew that on the inside he was soft and very vulnerable. Hell, they all knew that.</p><p>"Allison..."</p><p>“I know everything you want to tell me, and I ask you don’t”, Allison physically couldn't hold Luther in place, and if he wanted to, he could just leave her, but she knew that Luther heard her every word and that she was one of the few people in the world who could stop him. "I... I don't care what you look like. God, did you think this would change something? Diego has grown long patles, but we love him anyway".</p><p>Luther didn't even smile at Allison's clumsy joke. He seemed to be looking somewhere through her, and Allison felt his muscles tense, as if he was ready to run away at any second. She lifted her head and gently touched Luther's cheek. He shuddered, but didn't pull away. His cheeks were prickly and his sweatshirt smelled of alcohol. Allison didn't like the fact that Luther had to work in a bar, but under the circumstances, there was no choice. They were strangers in the new world and had to adapt to it. Of course, she could become an actress again and get a lot of money, but... she didn't want that anymore. A life built on lies sooner or later had to collapse. Allison has experienced this bitter truth more than once.</p><p>"Look at me".</p><p>Luther closed his eyes as if he was hurt and shook his head.</p><p>"Please".</p><p>Allison's voice faltered. Luther's hot breath scorched her face, and she wanted to cuddle up to him with her whole body, naively trying to hide him from suffering. It doesn't matter that he was bigger and stronger than her.</p><p>Luther opened his eyes. Pain were splashing in his blue eyes, and Allison ran her fingers gently over his prickly cheek. She had missed him all these years more than she was willing to admit, even to herself. How much she would like everything to be much easier between them... as in childhood. Although for a brother and sister, in any case, a relationship that is closer than family was considered strange. Probably even for their crazy family.</p><p>"You will always be one of the dearest people in my life... and nothing can change that, nothing. It's even offensive to think that you thought that your appearance could alienate me from you.</p><p>"But..."</p><p>“Don’t argue,” Allison put her hand over Luther's mouth, standing up slightly on tiptoe. "Please. Not now. I don't ... I don't want to lose you. Again".</p><p>She stumbled on her own words, unable to continue. Luther was about to say something, but Allison interrupted him off again.</p><p>“I just want to help you. Trust me. I am begging you. Please... let me take care of you".</p><p>She spoke quickly, almost feverishly, while carefully pulling the cloak off Luther. When it came to the sweatshirt, Luther gently but firmly stopped Allison's hand.</p><p>"I'll do it by myself".</p><p>As Luther stripped off his outer garment, Allison couldn't contain a startled sigh. Luther immediately clenched, involuntarily trying to cover himself with his hands and clearly taking his sister's exclamation at his own expense.</p><p>“No, no, I'm sorry… I just didn't… expect you to have so many scars".</p><p>Allison had never before seen Luther's body that close. Now she saw how much her brother had gone through since she left the academy. Even thick hair couldn't hide everything, and it was terrifying. Allison's eyes tingled at the corners because of tears.</p><p>"Sit down".</p><p>Luther sank slowly onto the bed with Allison and froze in an awkward position, not knowing what to do. If not for the current situation, Allison might find his confusion amusing. As then, in childhood, when he was always confused when he was next to her.</p><p>Luther jerked as Allison touched him to examine the wound, and she didn't know whether from pain or from the very fact that someone had touched him. For a very long time, no one has touched Luther... the blows received in fights didn't count. Allison's heart was overwhelmed with tenderness and sympathy. She wanted the first normal touch (sex with the random girl from the bar didn't count) to be special for Luther. It is a pity that she had to do it in such circumstances.</p><p>She tried to act softly, but her fingers trembled as she washed her brother's wounds. She was afraid to hurt him - both physically and mentally. It was too easy to press too hard on Luther to shut him back in his shell. Allison didn't want to admit that her hands were shaking also because she couldn't come to terms with what their father did to Luther.</p><p>She didn’t care what Luther looked like, but everything inside her shrank with pain and resentment at the thought of exactly what her brother had to think every time he looked in the mirror. That alone was worth hating their father. Luther didn't deserve... that.</p><p>Later, when Luther was already dozing, bandaged and sewn up, Allison sat next to him and stroked his shoulder thoughtfully. He wasn't dressed, so his hair was tickling Allison's fingers. It was even funny. It's like stroking a cat... a very fluffy cat.</p><p>"Are you going?" Luther asked in a whisper, suddenly raising his head. His voice was hoarse from sleep, and his eyes were sleepy and out of focus. Now Luther looked completely defenseless, but even that was not what made Allison sit next to him, waiting for him to fall asleep. She didn't want to leave Luther. Stay alone. Again. She shook her head.</p><p>"Sleep. I will be here".</p><p>“Thank you,” Luther whispered into his pillow. “I… I’m sorry that you have to mess with me, and that I’m constantly acting very stupid, and that…"</p><p>Luther uttered the last words quite indistinctly, apparently falling asleep at last. Allison smiled covering him with a blanket to keep him warm. There was a silence, broken only by Luther's loud puffing in his sleep.</p><p>Sad thoughts returned in silence. Allison could have gone downstairs and found one of the siblings, but she didn't want to. Instead, she hesitantly looked at her brother, fast asleep, and then, carefully so as not to wake him, lay down on the side. The warmth of Luther's body warmed and soothed, driving away the darkness and longing in Allison's soul, even for the short time that they were next to each other. A peace finally reigned in Allison's heart, which she hadn't felt since returning from the past. She didn't care what will happen tomorrow - here and now she had a wounded and sleeping brother, whom she should to take care of. Next to which she felt good.</p><p>In the morning she would think that it was wrong. That she had Ray, that it was impossible, that everything was too complicated to allow this to develop. It will be in the morning. In the meantime, Allison hugged Luther, who was already starting to snore, closed her eyes and smiled. She slept well that night.</p><p>And that evening the rest of the brothers and Vanya had to have dinner with something else, since the chicken still managed to burn out and was hopelessly spoiled.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Five and Klaus</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In this part, Klaus was supposed to take care of Five, but suddenly a mutual hurt/comfort came out. They both had gone through too much.</p><p>I'm still thinking about what and how to write about Ben (because I want Ben, with whom we have lived for two seasons, and not the one with whom we will be introduced in the third season). Perhaps it will be a separate story.</p><p>I chose pairs of Hargreeves using a random number generator, so you can expect unexpected pairs in the future (maybe not).</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Klaus was just starting to fall asleep when he was awakened by some strange sounds. At first he didn't even understand what it was, but the noise was clearly coming from Five's bed. He must have been awake again and wrote something in his notebook... a little stubborn man. Klaus reluctantly opened his eyes and sat up in bed, having already prepared a speech that children should sleep at such a time and not disturb adults, when suddenly the words stuck in his throat. In the light of the night light, which Klaus wasn't had time to turn off, he made out his brother rushing about the bed. He, contrary to expectations, slept, but the long-awaited rest didn't bring relief: Five saw something very bad in a dream now.</p><p>Klaus carefully got up and walked over to his brother, overwhelmed by unexpected timidity. Five frowned, turned his head, and muttered something inaudible. Klaus could have woken him up, but he didn't know if it was worth it. Five hated it when someone caught him in moments of weakness and could simply teleport somewhere far away after he woke up. Klaus didn't want that at all.</p><p>He sank slowly onto his brother's bed, trying not to wake him. The bed was too big for a thirteen year old version of Five, so Klaus had plenty of room. He carefully threw the blanket that was almost thrown on the floor over his brother and involuntarily smiled. In the dream, Five looked like a real child: it was easy to forget about who he really was.</p><p>"A fifty-eight year old man who is much smarter than you, Klaus."</p><p>It sounded so much like Ben that for a split second Klaus even thought he saw the frown that Ben used to look at him with. His heart shrank, and his chest felt the usual dull pain. He missed Ben. Missed so much that he was ready to never drink again, just to see this eternally disgruntled asshole again... well, "never" was too long, for Ben a month would be enough.</p><p>Klaus closed his eyes. He didn't think he would miss this constantly nagging pain in the ass so much. More precisely, he simply didn't think that he would ever be able to lose him. Ben was technically dead a long time ago, and Klaus lived with the idea that they should be together for eternity. Took Ben for granted... the more unreal it seemed what had happened. The silence was deafening. Klaus couldn't get used to her, there was something very wrong in the fact that no one else commented on his actions. He lived with it for so long that reality without Ben was disorienting and left behind a feeling of emptiness. He almost started use drugs again, the day after they returned. Even in the alternative 2019, it was very easy to find drugs, and Klaus was already holding the coveted bag, ready to help him forget about everything... but he didn't. Ben would have been against it, and somehow the thought of disapproving him made Klaus stop. He wanted to think Ben would love it.</p><p>Of course, right after the part in which he would call him "a weak-willed idiot."</p><p>Five twitched in his sleep and groaned something. Klaus didn't know what his brother was dreaming, but he guessed that most likely it was the Apocalypse. Five was reluctant to share what he had seen all these forty-five years, but Klaus didn't need to hear something to understand: it was incredibly shitty there. The old man didn’t let anyone get close to him, but Klaus had a first-hand experience of war and all those post-war flashbacks. Very nasty shit. He patted his brother on the shoulder sympathetically. Five didn't react in any way, continuing to whisper something.</p><p>Klaus began stroking Five affectionately on the back. As a child, when Klaus was scared, their mother did the same for him. Of course, if daddy was not around - he really hated all these "useless" tenderness. Asshole. They were no longer children, but too much was broken inside each of them from the very beginning, and this shit had to be dealt with now.</p><p>Five became quiet, and Klaus smiled with delight. The brother was initially against the idea of sleeping in the same room, and it was not easy for Klaus to persuade him. He had to lie that he was afraid to spend the night alone... never mind. A bit of humiliation, to which he was used: no one expected anything different from the Fourth. Pathetic, self-pitying, useless. It was so natural that he had to ask his older brother to be with him in the same room. Maybe, from the outside it looked even funny.</p><p>Klaus didn't want to say that he was not afraid of the dark. He was afraid to be left alone.</p><p>Klaus leaned back against the wall and climbed onto the bed with his feet. It was getting crowded, but he was ready to endure. Five slept, huddled in a ball, and from this sight it became warmer in Klaus' soul. Klaus didn't confessed to Five why he went to him. Not to Allison, not to Vanya, not to someone else, but to him, the always disgruntled asshole. Because Five with his grumbling <br/>elusively reminded Klaus of Ben, and for this Klaus was ready to forgive Five a lot. Even the fact that he often worked at night, interfering Klaus with sleep.</p><p>Klaus tried not to think about where (and when) they got this time. Umbrella Academy or Sparrow - it was all the same bullshit, only with a different name. The main thing is that there was no more Apocalypse, which means that they all could have a little rest. Klaus didn't give a damn about how their father was alive again. He didn't care that they didn't exist in this reality. He didn't care that Dave has died long ago, he didn't care... about everything. If you will think about it, you will go crazy.</p><p>Although Five thought. He thought a lot, and this didn't improve his already constantly gloomy mood. It's good that at least he began to sleep more or less regularly... although as it turned out he didn't do it very well. Klaus flinched from a rather sensitive push from small but strong leg.</p><p>“No… no…” groaned Five, fighting off someone in his sleep. "Vanya... Diego... no..."</p><p>Klaus froze. There was so much quiet and sincere despair in his brother's voice that Klaus' heart shrank. Five was not a person of emotion, he always hid everything inside himself, looking like an insensitive bastard, but Klaus always knew that this was not so. It's just that not everyone knew how to look deeper.</p><p> "Five?.."</p><p>Klaus lightly began to jerk his brother on the shoulder, ready to move away at any moment. The devil knows these professional killers. It is possible to remain without fingers - and Klaus's fingers were dear for him, without them he would not be able to hold a cigarette.</p><p>Five clenched his jaw tighter, but didn't wake up. Then Klaus pushed him harder. And in the next second he felt someone else's hands close around his throat.</p><p>“It's… it's me…” Klaus croaked, raising his palms in a conciliatory manner. The words "goodbye" flashed beside his eyes. How ironic. It was getting hard to breathe, and Klaus briefly thought how strange it was to die at the hands of his younger (older?) brother and what Ben could say about that. Perhaps this is not the kind of death that should be bragged to other ghosts.</p><p>“Fuck... Klaus!" Five released his grip, and Klaus sighed convulsively. How delightful it was to breathe again... he guessed he should have asked Five to repeat it, just a little softer. He didn't want to die. "What the hell are you doing?!"</p><p>"And this is instead of gratitude for I saved you", Klaus pouted his lips and made a mock offended expression on his face. He looked affectionately at how the disheveled Five rubbed his eyes, trying to understand where he was.</p><p>"From what did you save me?"</p><p>“From… I don’t know, from something that you dreamed about. I woke you up, and instead of saying "thank you" to your beloved brother, you rush at him. It's insulting", Klaus moved closer, taking advantage of the fact that Five was still disoriented. At any other time, it would have been a fatal risk. “Maybe we’ll have a pajama party since you’re awake?”</p><p>“Only over my dead body,” said Five grimly. He finally woke up and was now gloomy as usual. "And in general, you are not my beloved brother".</p><p>"Who then?" Klaus asked with keen interest, pulling the blanket over himself. He had already moved close Five and was sitting, almost touching him sideways. "Luther? Diego? Or… or our irrevocably gone second time Ben?"</p><p>Klaus really wanted it to sound solemn and cheerful, but his voice trembled treacherously at the mention of Ben. He wasn't ready to joke about him yet. He may never be ready for this again.</p><p>“I hate all of you,” Fifth said kindly, smiling sarcastically. Klaus smiled back, too, and then quickly turned on the lamp next to the bed.</p><p>"Hey!" Five closed his eyes with displeasure, trying to cover himself with his hands from the unexpected harsh light.</p><p>“This is for you for insulting me to the core,” Klaus said contentedly, enjoying his brother’s confusion. But then he took pity and turned off the light. Enough for old man. Klaus hoped it would cheer him up a little.</p><p>“I'll put this lamp somewhere inside you now,” Five promised ominously. He threw off the covers and had already dropped his feet to the floor, ready to get up.</p><p>"Hey, where are you going?" - Klaus was indignant. “Children are supposed to lie in a their crib at this time".</p><p>Five sighed heavily. Klaus could almost physically feel his irritation, but Five said nothing out loud. Instead, he rubbed the bridge of his nose and gave Klaus the middle finger.</p><p>"Hey, hey, well, wait, where are you going?" Klaus worried, jumping out of bed and standing in front of his brother, who had decidedly gathered somewhere. Five looked unkindly at the obstacle in his path. "I won't let you out".</p><p>“I won’t even ask you,” Five said wearily. “It's not even your room".</p><p>Klaus understood that his brother could teleport at any second, but he hoped that Five would not do it.</p><p>"Can't it wait until morning? Uh?" Klaus asked plaintively, trying to look into the eyes of Five and understand what he was thinking. It was always difficult to contact with Five, even in childhood, when he always fenced off from him with his numbers and annoying self-confidence. Klaus liked to communicate with Ben or Vanya more, and even spending time with Diego was more pleasant. Now, when he and Five were separated by the abyss at forty-five years, he was even more confused in Five's presence.</p><p>"No. I'm going to have coffee. And if you..." Five suddenly turned sharply and painfully poked Klaus with his finger in the chest, "If at least you hint that coffee is harmful at my age, I will kill you, and in the morning I will tell everyone that you left for Mexico".</p><p>"W... why Mexico?" appalled Klaus was only able to say that.</p><p>"Just because," Five grinned vengefully. He was already at the door when Klaus blocked his way. He wasn't going to give up so easily. In this family, everyone considered him frivolous and stupid (hello again, Five), but Klaus was one of the few who saw how hard it all was for his brother. Klaus himself, accustomed to the fact that no one was interested in what was happening in his soul, understood how difficult it is to go through everything alone. Even if you were fifty-eight and thought you were better than the rest.</p><p>"What do you want from me?" Five asked impatiently. It was a good sign that he wasn't going to disappear yet. Klaus perked up.</p><p>"I want... hugs?" He offered timidly, opening his arms for his brother. Five just rolled his eyes and shook his head. Before Klaus could do anything, Five disappeared into a bluish haze.</p><p>Damn it.</p><p>Klaus stood for a while in one place, and then, mentally spitting on everything, went back to bed and took blanket cover above his head. His chest ached unpleasantly from the already familiar sensation: again no one needed him. Again nobody wanted to listen to him. If Ben was here...</p><p>“I would never call you the ugly version of Casper again... just kidding, I would still call you, but much less often. If only you came back. "</p><p>The Ben they met at the academy... was different. Wrong. Klaus couldn't stay with him for long and sighed with relief when they all left the walls of the academy. Better a feeling of emptiness and loneliness than someone else's gaze of formerly familiar eyes.</p><p>Klaus shuddered and put his arms around his shoulders. He desperately wanted to go to a bar and get drunk, but he tried to resist the temptation. While he didn't feel so bad as to walk on the wild side. But he felt that he was already on the brink.</p><p>"Haven't you died of fear yet?"</p><p>Five's sarcastic voice distracted Klaus from his gloomy thoughts. He threw off the blanket. Five was sitting next to him on the bed, looking somehow strange at Klaus and holding a cup in his hand. It smelled like tea, not the usual coffee. Has the old man decided to change his habits?</p><p>"This is for you. For to not get you on my nerves” Five winced, handing the cup to Klaus. Klaus obediently took it, not knowing how to react. The brother's caring was unusual and... pleasant.</p><p>"Why... why did you come back?" Klaus finally asked quietly. Tea turned out to be the most ordinary, black, with one spoonful of sugar, but now it seemed to Klaus almost the most delicious drink in the world.</p><p>Five shrugged.</p><p>“Actually, this is my room, so I can come back here any time. And I thought to get some more sleep".</p><p>“Oh,” was all Klaus said. There was a silence, broken only by Luther's snoring, which could be heard even from the other side of the house. Poor Allison, she slept very close to Luther... Klaus now understood why Five had chosen room so far from everyone. He looked at his brother. Five was sitting on the edge of the bed with his head bowed so that Klaus couldn't see his expression.</p><p>“Thank you,” Five said suddenly, muffled, didn't turning to Klaus.</p><p>"For what?"</p><p>"For waking me up. Sometimes… sometimes I have nightmares,” Five admitted reluctantly, continuing to look at his feet. His voice sounded very tired, and Klaus for a moment imagined not a thirteen-year-old boy instead his brother, but an old broken man, which he really was. Klaus' heart shrunk painfully. "It's unpleasant. Thanks for waking me up".</p><p>“What… what did you see?" Klaus asked this question before he had time to regret it. Five already was so frank now that it was not at all like him. He most likely would just scold Klaus now rather than answer him. “I… I sometimes dream about war. Shots, shouts... and... and Dave. Again I cannot save him, and..."</p><p>Klaus was in a hurry, no longer knowing why he was telling all this. To calm his brother or ease the soul himself? He used to talk about his pain into the void, knowing that only Ben had heard him. Sometimes it seemed to him that even he himself didn't really listen to himself.</p><p>Tears streamed down his cheeks, but Klaus didn't wash them off. Never mind. He was not ashamed of tears. It's no shame to be broken, no matter what their father talked them.</p><p>“Dolores said nightmares are good".</p><p>Five's voice wavered slightly at the mention of Dolores's name. Klaus didn't really know what exactly happened, but he understood that Five left her, deciding to move on. Probably, it was very painful - to leave something what was the meaning of your life for several decades. Klaus didn't care that his brother's chosen one was a mannequin... damn, everyone was having fun as they could. Moreover, in the Apocalypse there was no particular choice.</p><p>"If you have nightmares, then you are still afraid of something. So you are still alive".</p><p>“That sounds so wise, bro. Can I write it for myself so that, you know, suddenly I decide to found a commune again, and..."</p><p>"I still dream of the Apocalypse when I sleep".</p><p>Klaus's heart beat fast,  very fast. He didn't expect Five to start sharing something with him. He moved closer to his brother and put a hand on his shoulder. Five shuddered, but didn't pull away. He sat up straight, staring at one point and placing his hands on his lap. Now he looked especially like a child - if you don't look into his eyes.</p><p>“I… again walk on the scorched earth, and ash flies around me, I cough. I try to think that I escaped, that it is all over, but then... then I bump into your bodies. Again".</p><p>The shoulder on which Klaus's hand rested began to shake slightly. Klaus threw a blanket over his brother, realizing that this couldn't help him. But he wanted to do something.</p><p>"Only this time the bodies of Ben and Vanya are there too. I..." Five closed his eyes and put his hand to his chest, as if it was difficult for him to breathe. "I left you all then. I wanted to bury you, but I couldn't - you were too heavy, and I was only thirteen. I ripped off all my nails trying to get Luther out of the stones. I... just covered your faces with the newspapers I could find. I dreamed about your faces for a long time while I sleep, and I blamed myself for not even being able to bury you normally. I... I really wanted to. Sometimes, when I look at you, I see you dead and cannot understand where is reality and where is illusion".</p><p>“You don’t have to bury us anymore, because we are alive,” Klaus said in a broken voice. He didn't want to hear it anymore, but stopping his brother now would be infinitely wrong. Five kept everything to himself for so many years, not being able to talk to someone... listening to him is the least that Klaus could do for him. "You saved us all. Twice already. Do you remember?"</p><p>"I remember something," Five smiled sadly. Something glinted on his cheek in the dim light of the lamp... or was it just Klaus imagining it? In any case, he wouldn't show that he noticed something.</p><p>“I don’t… imagine what you went through".</p><p>“And don’t,” Five's voice hardened. “I… I'm glad you don't know that", his tone softened. "You still have everything ahead, Klaus, you are still so young".</p><p>It was strange to hear this from a teenager's lips, but the life of their family was never normal.</p><p>"God, I don't need instructive lectures from my elder brother now. I saw you drinking whiskey right out of the bottle yesterday. Bad example for a little brother".</p><p>"Fuck you", - Five answered without malice, trying to wipe away his tears imperceptibly. "You inject all kinds of rubbish into yourself, I think you don't need to learn anything".</p><p>“Actually, I’m sober already… for a long time,” Klaus protested. He tried to count how many days he had been clean, but his thoughts were confused. He yawned.</p><p>“I know,” Five suddenly became serious. “And… good job, Klaus".</p><p>What? Klaus's eyebrows went up rapidly. He turned his whole body towards his brother. This litlle asshole praised him right now? Klaus was probably just going crazy.</p><p>"Just don't be proud. You are still an idiot".</p><p>Five rubbed his eyes sleepily. No matter what he said about his age, the thirteen-year-old body was tired much faster than Five would have liked. Klaus gently pushed his brother onto the bed.</p><p>"Let's sleep. Our heartbreaking brother conversation can be continued in the morning".</p><p>“In no case,” Five chuckled, but obediently lay down. It made Klaus happy. Since the threat of the Apocalypse ceased to hang over them, Five began to take care of himself a little better and sometimes even allowed himself to sleep. How little a he needed to be happy. Klaus covered his brother with a blanket, trying to ignore the threats Five to break his arms.</p><p>"You're so cute when you're angry".</p><p>Five reluctantly opened his eyes and promised to rip off Klaus's head if he didn't stop right away. Klaus just chuckled contentedly. Sleepy Five didn't look like a threat.</p><p>“If you… will be scared, you can wake me up,” Five suddenly said, looking seriously at Klaus. "That is... do not abuse it, but if that..."</p><p>“My caring older brother will take care of me,” Klaus interrupted with a sweet smile. "I know you love me. I love you too".</p><p>Five, sighing, muttered something like "how you all piss me off," and then, after a little tossing in bed, fell silent.</p><p>He was asleep.</p><p>Klaus climbed onto his bed and, after taking one last look at his sleeping brother, closed his eyes. It was easy in his soul. He didn't feel alone anymore. At least for a few hours before dawn.</p><p>They both slept peacefully that night.</p>
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